"Good to be prepared" – Press Gazette

MILTON — Tropical Storm Gordon made landfall late Tuesday night near the Alabama-Mississippi border. While it had a harder impact further west, the effect on Milton was primarily brief, high waters.

The city of Milton announced there were no major issues during Tropical Storm Gordon during its report at the Sept. 5 council meeting.

City Manager Randy Jorgenson said the city did well overall. He said two manhole covers did malfunction during the storm, one on Willing Street and one on Susan Street. The one on Willing Street has a history of malfunctioning, according to Jorgenson and the city is looking into it. Jorgenson also said that a few homes did have some flooding damage that the city would examine.

Mayor Wesley Meiss thanked the city staff for its preparation during the storm and said even though Gordon did not directly impact the city, it was good practice for a future hurricane hitting Milton.

"Hopefully it doesn't but it's always good to be prepared," Meiss said.

In addition to the homes that were flooded, parks around Milton, including Russell Harber Landing and the Veteran's Memorial Park endured high storm waters. Mayo Park on Caroline Street, which is maintained by the Santa Rosa County Commission, also had excessive water levels, a regular occurence there.

According to www.water.weather.gov, the city of Milton had approximately 5 inches of rain during the storm on Wednesday.